


A Book Written in Scrawled Hand

by dinosaurdragon



Series: The Way of the Story [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Diary/Journal, Gen, Spoilers, literally spoilers for the entirety of the dragon age game series, no spoilers for my fic though, this is vir'era's journal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 20:56:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4363919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinosaurdragon/pseuds/dinosaurdragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Theron--<br/>In the event of my death, I beg for two things only: first, that you forgive me for never telling you everything. Second, that you see to it that this book, and everything I've written here, reaches a dwarf by the name of Varric Tethras. You can find him in Kirkwall's Hanged Man pub prior to 9:40 Dragon. Read this first if you must, but bring it to him. It is vital.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, Theron. Thank you for your patience with me. I was never meant to be here.</p>
<p>--Vir'era, 9:30 Dragon</p>
<p>****</p>
<p>In 9:30 Dragon, Vir'era came to Thedas and became a Grey Warden. When he reached Redcliffe, he started to keep a journal, logging the events to come so that even if he forgot or died, he could prevent disaster. (Or, well, prevent things from falling apart.)</p>
<p>This is his journal.</p>
<p>(Reading this is not essential to the series. Nor, I should think, is reading the series essential to reading this.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Book Written in Scrawled Hand

Theron--  
In the event of my death, I beg for two things only: first, that you forgive me for never telling you everything. Second, that you see to it that this book, and everything I've written here, reaches a dwarf by the name of Varric Tethras. You can find him in Kirkwall's Hanged Man pub prior to 9:40 Dragon. Read this first if you must, but bring it to him. It is vital.

I'm sorry, Theron. Thank you for your patience with me. I was never meant to be here.

\--Vir'era, 9:30 Dragon

To Varric Tethras:

Hello, Varric. Please, hear me out, and read this book. I have been given a chance to help right wrongs, to help avoid terrible outcomes, and if I have died, I would leave that opportunity in your hands, to do with what you will. I'll try to explain myself, but I don't know how much sense I will make to you. Trust me, please; and if you do not, then trust a test of my words.

As I write this, it is 9:30 Dragon. My name is Vir'era. I am a Grey Warden in Ferelden, hiding from the law even as I attempt to stop the Blight. I know that even if I die, my friends shall succeed. That is how it must go. What will happen between now and then, though--of that I am not certain. I know possibilities, and I will recount them for you here.

First, though, I will confess how I came to know what may come, how our actions may decide the course of this world:

I am not from Thedas. I am here, now, apparently a Dalish mage, and my friend Theron--a real Dalish, a hunter--has been kind enough to build for me a backstory in his clan whenever our other Wardens ask. I fear they will soon know the truth, though. In my truth, the reality and world from which I came, I was human. There were only humans. Qunari, elves, dwarves--none of these existed. Perhaps I was made Dalish because of how I came here; perhaps I simply have a soul of the People, and so my body reflected that in my transferral. I don't know.

I came to Thedas through an Eluvian in the Brecilian forest, an ancient elven artifact found in ruins Theron foolishly braved without telling Keeper Marethari. His friend, Tamlen, touched the Eluvian, which had long stood forgotten, and had become tainted by the Blight, and Tamlen was tainted beyond recovery. I have not yet had the courage to tell this truth to Theron. I will, after we have been to Haven and found the Urn of Sacred Ashes. We will face our ghosts there. He will need to know.

The Eluvian also tainted Theron with the Blight, but because he was not touching it, he could be saved, and he was. Somehow, though, the Eluvian also sent me through, and I, too, contracted the Blight. The Grey Warden Commander Duncan saved us; he brought us to Theron's clan, the Sabrae clan--Merrill's clan. Merrill and Keeper Marethari saved us from the brink, and Duncan offered us a chance to live.

You see, though there is no cure for the Blight--not that I know of--the Grey Wardens can... allow one to live with it. A Warden has the Blight, a controlled form, and can live for many years after. So we agreed to join the Wardens, having little choice in the matter. We were at Ostagar. We lit the beacon. We nearly died, again, but we were saved--by Flemeth. By Asha'bellanar, the woman of many years, the witch of the wilds--she has many names. You'll meet her. Maybe you already have. She saved Hawke's life, and Merrill's funeral rite brought her from a necklace atop Sundermount, in the ancient elven graveyard for Uthenera.

Now I will admit something else: For everything I say I know, that I say was essentially foretold to me, I did not expect there to be other Wardens than Theron, Alistair, and myself. Yet there were. In fact, there were five others--two from the Circle, two human nobles, and one city elf. I cannot say how this change will affect the rest of what I know.

As I write this, we are in Redcliffe. I have stolen a few brief hours for myself to begin this log of what I know, in case I should come to forget it in the future. We have already saved the Circle, though there was so much death there that I would rather not think on it. What I knew of the outcomes from there is now irrelevant; we have the help of the mages through our ancient Grey Warden treaties.

We are in Redcliffe for two reasons: to seek the aid of the arl, and to aid the arl. Arl Eamon is sick; he has been poisoned by a blood mage named Jowan, a former friend of Neria and Daylen and a current apostate. Jowan was acting on the order of Arl Howe, who acts for Teyrn Loghain. Before we can help the arl, though, we must first help his son. Connor is a mage; Arl Eamon's wife sought to hide this and hired Jowan to teach the boy, but when Eamon fell ill, Connor was so distraught that a demon managed to possess him.

Now he calls the dead to rise from the lake in a bid to retake Redcliffe and later rule all of Ferelden. We will stop him soon. Tonight, we fight the dead. Tomorrow, Isolde will come to bring Bann Teagan back to the castle, and my friends and I will take a hidden route in. We will find Jowan in the cells, and risen corpses will fight us at every turn--many, too many, will be recent. The smith's daughter will be in a closet, hidden by the arlessa. Connor, with those left alive, will be in the main hall--we will enter it from the front after bringing in the arl's knights from the courtyard. If we are lucky, the mages that the Circle has agreed to send after us will arrive in time, and we will save Connor from the demon without further bloodshed. If we are not... Our options will be presented to us by Jowan. We will have a choice: kill Connor to kill the demon, or use a blood sacrifice and blood magic to replicate the ritual that would save him. The arlessa will volunteer for this. I hope it does not come to that.

Regardless of what happens then, the arl will not awaken. For him to revive, we will need to find the Urn of Sacred Ashes, which most now believe to be forever lost. It is not. It is in Haven, a tiny village hidden in the Frostbacks. I don't know how to get there, though, and it is not marked on any map. The cultists who live there have been exceptionally careful to keep their secrets. We will need Brother Genitivi's notes; they are at his home in Denerim, where a man posing as his assistant will try to divert us to Lake Calenhad. His assistant's body and his notes will be in a back room; we will have to kill the imposter to access them.

The cultists who guard the Urn so zealously call themselves descendents of the disciples of Andraste. It is likely that they are, but their purpose has been perverted. They worship a high dragon as Andraste, say She has come back. We will need to kill or sneak past them, the dragonlings, drakes, dragons, and the High Dragon herself to reach the temple where a Guardian has faithfully protected the ashes from their corruption for centuries.

We will be given a test: a Gauntlet of questions and tests of character. We will see ghosts from our past. They will forgive us. We will fight shade versions of ourselves. We will be asked to answer a series of riddles. Last, we will need to walk naked through fire to prove our devotion. Only after we have completed these tasks will we be allowed access to the Urn. We will take a pinch for the arl, and leave. I hope the high dragon does not notice us, but I cannot predict that. She should be sleeping; we should be safe.

The ashes will bring Arl Eamon back from the brink. I hope we can save his family. I pray it. Gods, please let them be safe.

Eamon will present a daring option: a Landsmeet. Ferelden is facing a Blight, but Loghain has sparked a civil war. Eamon would put Alistair on the throne, as Alistair is Maric's son. I would do the same; his other options are... Not ideal. But to call the Landsmeet, he would first have us prepared to fight the Blight, and so we will be sent to collect on our two remaining Grey Warden treaties: that with the Dalish, and that with Orzammar.

Our plan now is to approach the Dalish first. As Theron and apparently myself are Dalish, they should be amenable to listening to our words--but more than that, they are in danger. Keeper Zathrian made a terrible decision centuries ago, and now his clan is paying the price. He cursed humans who had wronged him terribly with lycanthropy, and though I cannot hate his vengeance, he refused to let it go. There are three ways for this to end: we follow Zathrian's words unfalteringly and destroy the werewolves. That would be hard and bloody. Or we could side with the werewolves and turn on Zathrian and his clan for his bullheadedness. More blood, and the thought of killing a clan makes me ill. Our third option: we speak with Witherfang, the Lady of the forest that Zathrian cursed, and we pose as little harm to the werewolves as we can. We bring Zathrian to speak with her, and convince him of his own blindness. He will die, as will the Lady, but the curse will be broken. The werewolves will be human again, and the clan will be safe. That is the option I hope for. Lanaya will prove to be a better Keeper than her predecessor. This is the ideal, but I fear that some of our company will not have the patience for it.

I'll turn to the trials Orzammar will bring us, instead. The dwarven kingdom is a mess now; King Aeducan has died, and his elder two children are dead. Bhelen, his youngest, killed the eldest son and apparently framed the middle child in a bid to gain the throne. No one but Bhelen himself knows this treachery. I believe he would keep it that way. There is another also vying for the throne: a man named Harrowmont. He's a kind sort, but exceedingly conservative. Bhelen would bring about a rather radical change--one which Orzammar desperately needs, I should think.

To gain Orzammar's help, we will need to see to it that a king is crowned; our treaty only demands aid from the king. But this will not be easy. To achieve any such thing, we will need to prove ourselves in a series of tests set by the two houses. A battle in the Proving, for Harrowmont; finding a nobleman in the Deep Roads for Bhelen; destroying the leader of the local cartel in Dust Town for either. And then, as even these shall not be enough, we will have a final task: find Paragon Branka, who had gone two years before into the Deep Roads in search of Caridin's Anvil of the Void, that very same anvil which was used to create golems.

An impossible task, likely asked out of desperation because we ourselves are Grey Wardens. We will have no choice, so we will go. Branka's husband, Oghren, will join us. It will take us a very long time to reach where we must go. I don't know how far we will travel, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the whole span of Orlais. We will have to fight darkspawn and spiders and golems. There will be angry spirits to contend with in the abandoned thaigs.

As we draw nearer to the anvil, we will even see the Archdemon. I just hope it does not see us. It should not, but there are so many more of us than I could ever have predicted...

Regardless, to find Branka, we will fight yet more darkspawn in an ancient fortress. We will find her lover, irrevocably changed by the Blight and the horrors she has seen. We will fight a Broodmother that was once a girl from Branka's own house, and we will have to kill her. Beyond the Broodmother, beyond her lover's haunt, we will at last find Branka, surrounded by the corpses of her house.

She will not care. She will force us to reach the anvil for her, as neither she nor anyone else had yet to manage, if we want her help. But what we will find is not just the anvil, not just some ancient guardian golems; we will find a golem of the Paragon Caridin himself. There is an ugly truth about golems, Varric: golems are made from binding the souls of the living to stone. Every golem was once a person; some were even nobles.

I cannot, in good conscience, allow anyone to use the Anvil of the Void for its intended purpose ever again. I will beg my friends to help Caridin, although it will mean fighting and slaying Branka, who has gone mad with her search. Caridin will make us a crown for whoever we wish to name king before we destroy the anvil and he kills himself.

Siding with Branka would require killing Caridin. She can still be convinced to not make golems, but in this she will then destroy the anvil and kill herself. If we do not do that much, she will stay to work on golems. But I cannot... I will not let this happen.

We will then return to the Assembly and crown a King. If we crown Harrowmont, Bhelen will attack. Harrowmont would not do the same, but he will be executed. Either way, we will have our allies for the Blight. I may dislike his methods, but I would prefer Bhelen to be crowned than Harrowmont.

After all this, after the Deep Roads that I have no doubts will give me nightmares, we will return to Redcliffe and Arl Eamon to prepare for the Landsmeet. It will be held in Denerim, and we will have to work hard to find as much favor as we can with the other nobles to ensure that they will denounce Loghain. They should be willing enough; Loghain has few friends with his civil war during a Blight.

It is Anora that will need to be handled with great care. If we are careful, if I can convince the others to at least pretend to spare Loghain for her sake, then we shall have her aid. But if she suspects that we will kill him--and I know Alistair will stand for nothing less--she will speak against us, and her voice is strong. She is a charismatic and cunning queen; we will need to be doubly cunning.

And she will seek our aid. Arl Howe will keep her locked away in his estate; I am unsure whether Loghain approves of this, but he is aware and will do nothing. He is a despicable man. Anora will send her servant to beg our aid, that she may be broken free, and we will have little choice but to make an attempt. Anora is a cunning woman, and she would be an indisposable ally. So we will go, in disguise, to the palace to save the princess--well, queen.

We will have to go to the dungeons to halt a mage's spell, and in the process we shall aid a captured Warden named Riordan and kill Arl Howe. If we've not been spottes prior, we may have time to free a noble's son who is being tortured, a veteran of Ostagar, and an elf named Soris who was arrested when the alienage rioted--when Darrien's bride was killed and he conscripted into the Wardens.

But we will be accosted on our way out. If we can take down the wall of guards that will block our exit, we may be able to run for Arl Eamon's estate, where we will be safe. We may not be able to, though, and we may not all make it out--those who don't will be taken to Fort Drakon. We will have to break them out. Or we will have to break out.

We'll make it. I'm sure of that. But then there is the matter of the alienage... Loghain has allowed Tevinter slavers to come there, to steal elves under the guise of a plague they are healing and quarantining. We can stop them and take the papers for proof and ammunition against Loghain. I don't know how he'll feel about being fucked over by a group greatly comprised of elves, but I do not doubt our anger will be great--especially Darrien's. That was his home, those were his friends, his family; he will not take this slight well.

And the Landsmeet will begin. What happens during is les important than the result, though even now I have no doubt that Alistair will be made king. Capella has shown great interest in his being crowned, and Arl Eamon has little interest in crowning anyone else. I think Capella will put herself forward to be his queen, too; she would be a good fit for the job.

Thus, I shall assume at least that Alistair will be made king. If we have not gotten the support of the nobles, it will come to a brawl. We cannot let Loghain rule. But I should hope, between my knowledge and the Couslands' experience with nobility--as they are themselves nobility--that we shall prevail. If this happens, there need be no brawl, but one result is certain: Loghain will challenge us to a duel. Alistair, really, but any one of us could fight as his Champion. I do not know who will fight; if Alistair does, he will kill Loghain. I would spare Loghain for a different purpose, that Riordan will suggest after the duel, assuming Loghain has not been slain: Loghain could become a Grey Warden himself. Much, much later, then, after atoning for his sins, I would see him finally pay. Eleven years may be a long time, but I do not think my mind would change.

Alistair would leave the Wardens immediately if that comes to pass. He can allow it, if the circumstances are right, but he cannot fight at Loghain's side. This is acceptable. He will train to be king instead, will rally the people to our cause.

Or Loghain will be killed, and Alistair will stay with us until we have defeated the Blight.

We will return to Redcliffe, but the Archdemon will head to Denerim. We will rush back, Riordan in tow, but not before he reveals the awful truth: only a Grey Warden can slay the Archdemon because Grey Wardens carry the Blight within them. The Archdemon's soul will pass to any Blighted creature near, but a Grey Warden already has a soul; they will both be destroyed. A Grey Warden must die to defeat the Blight. It should fall to Riordan, as the most senior Warden, but he will not get the chance. He will die in the Battle of Denerim.

Morrigan knows a way around this, though. A way for the Warden who kills the Archdemon to live. She needs only to conceive a child with a Warden and to be present when the Archdemon is fought. Its soul will pass to the child, who will be just young enough to bear and purify it. We could all survive--assuming that none of the other obstacles kills us.

We will fight in the Battle of Denerim. I pray I make it to that day and that I live through it, too. But if I don't... Well, Varric, that is why I'm writing this. Why I am writing all I know, all which is relevant, and sending it to you.

After the battle, one of the Wardens, whoever it is that killed the Archdemon, will be hailed as the Hero of Ferelden. Or maybe all of them--of us--will. I shouldn't think us all to be lauded, though. I hope it is an elf or a mage--our lot in life is so terrible here, if the Hero were one or both... But I can't predict that.

One of us will become Warden-Commander of Ferelden. The Wardens will be rebuilt, slowly but surely. Oghren will even join our ranks, as will Arl Howe's son, Nathaniel. Not that he does it of his own volition, but I would see it happen. His father was deplorable, but Nathaniel has his heart in the right place. He would be a good addition to the ranks.

We will meet Anders in Amaranthine, in Vigil's Keep, during a darkspawn attack. Who will be with me still, I cannot say. You can ask Anders to recount how he met his Warden-Commander, though, if you still don't believe me. He was--will be? How do I use the tense here? For me it is future, but for you it is likely the past. Should I even be using plural at this point? I don't know. Will I live long enough to justify using first person now? I can only hope. May the dread wolf never catch my scent.

Ha. I'll let you in on that joke later. It's--something. I don't know what. Just know that the Dalish mean the best when they say it to you. Merrill will use it often enough.

I'll keep first person future for now. Until I get to Hawke, at least. Then I can safely and easily switch to third person.

Anders, when we meet him, will have just fought off several darkspawn. And maybe killed a Templar or two in the melee, but that, he will assure us, was mostly the darkspawn. For what it's worth, I believe him and do not blame him. He will be in the process of being taken in for--I don't know, the nth time that he had escaped the Circle. He was lucky, though, you see. He escaped before the Blight. Maybe thirty mages made it out who had been there. It... I'm sorry, it's too fresh. I can't.

So. Anders. We will conscript him, under protest from one of the Templars sent to retrieve him, but our dear new King will approve whole-heartedly of our decision and will back us up. And so we will put him through the Joining, and he will be a Grey Warden, free of the Circle at last. For the time being.

Many things of lesser importance will happen. We will begin rebuilding Vigil's Keep, will find Kal-Shirok, will recruit Grey Wardens, and will be of general aid to the citizens of Amaranthine. An unfortunate number will die during the Joining. Such is how it has always been and will likely always be. No one joins the Wardens lightly.

An exiled First will join us: Velanna. We will enter the Blackmarsh and be brought into the Fade, where the citizens have been trapped for decades. We will meet Justice there, and with their help, we will defeat the Baroness. The problem is that when we've returned, Justice will become trapped in Kristoff's dead body. He will join us, and that is where Anders' tragedy begins.

There will be a war amongst darkspawn; they will have learned to speak thanks to the one who calls himself the Architect. I suspect he is of the same ilk as Corypheus, the Conductor, who you shall meet later, but he has forgotten who and what he is. He thinks himself truly nothing more than an anomalous darkspawn, one with the intelligence needed for speech, a trait he has learned to bestow upon fellow darkspawn. He gave it to a Broodmother, who henceforth calls herself the Mother and vows to destroy him.

I do not know if he is an enemy in truth; he is no friend, but does that mean he is foe? I do not believe that the absence of one necessitates the other. But that changes little; that is just speculation, just philosophy. The Architect is the one who started the Fifth Blight in a misguided attempt to awaken the Old God before it could be corrupted. He failed; his failure has already nearly destroyed half of Ferelden.

But he would help us, if we allow his continued existence. He would help us destroy the Mother. I would accept his help. We may very well need it; Anders is a capable healer, has always been and will always be. I admire him, even for all his faults. If I am dead, if you are reading this--Varric, please tell him this. Tell him I understand, even if he does not know me. He is a good man. His heart is in the right place. Sometimes the world needs that final, dreadful push. Tell him, and please forgive him, Varric. He deserves to know. He deserves so much. Even if I do not get to meet him, to tell him myself, he should know.

I'm sorry for getting so melancholic just then, Varric. I just... Well. I'm sorry.

That really is more or less the end of what happens in Ferelden in 9:30-31 Dragon. The important stuff, anyway.

Now I'll tell you about... you. Ish. You and Hawke and your little group of misfits. Aveline, who met the Hawke family as they fled Lothering. You, who retrieved Hawke's coinpurse after a meeting with your brother such that you could gain Hawke as an colleague.

Ah, but let me take a moment: I know Hawke exists, but not if Hawke is a man or a woman. I know that Carver and Bethany exist, and that one died fighting an ogre in the flight from Lothering. I know Bethany is a mage. Is Hawke a mage, too? Is there just one Hawke? There should only have been one Warden, but there were seven. What does that mean for Hawke? I don't know. At least I can be safe in the knowledge that there can only ever be one Herald.

I will assume there is one Hawke, for now, and I'll assume Hawke is a woman. I still don't know if she is a mage, but if she is, then Bethany has died. If she isn't, it is Carver who died. That is simply the way of things, it seems: there can't be too many mages in one spot.

Hawke's other friends will, in time, include Anders. He will give over the Deep Roads maps in exchange for help with a friend taken to the Gallows--Karl. But Karl will have been made Tranquil, and in the fight that ensues, Justice will reveal himself in anger. Karl will die.

Isabela, the shipwrecked pirate queen, will also show up. She's on the hunt for a lost relic. Be careful of her. She's a wonderful woman who is in over her head. She needs help, but she'd never admit it. Help her. She'll pay you back.

Merrill--creators, Merrill. She is from the clan that took me in, First to Keeper Marethari. She is a desperate girl, and if I ever see her again I would tell her the terrible truth. The Eluvian cannot be fixed, not with blood magic, not with a demon's help. And she is trying, is trying so very hard. The Sabrae clan will... Ask her to leave unless she stops this pursuit. She is too stubborn. Take her under your wing, Varric. She won't give up blood magic, and perhaps she is a fool for that, but she is a good person. She needs friends desperately.

You'll meet Flemeth when you go to Sundermount with Hawke to deliver the necklace Flemeth gave to her. Flemeth will be brought forth from the amulet after Merrill speaks the funeral rites. She is Asha'bellanar. She is so much more than she seems. Be wary of Flemeth. Be careful. Dareth.

Fenris you'll meet on what seems to be a suspicious lead. You'll find yourself fighting Tevinter slavers one moment, and the next, Fenris will crush the heart of the ring leader, and I mean that quite literally. Lyrium has been infused into his skin; he has powers no one else does. He is capable of massive destruction. But he is a good person; they all are. He had a harder life than most--perhaps only Anders' life comes close. Fenris was a slave in Tevinter and is now a fugitive and an elf. Life is not kind to him, but you can be.

You will help him to sack and seize Danarius' mansion. He will spend the next seven years living in that dump, but I don't think anything could convince him to leave. He won't admit it, but he'll be at a loss for what to do. Help him. Be kind to him. Teach him to read. He deserves nothing less, even if his view of mages seems unwavering and full of hate. He can learn. He is intelligent

A woman in the Alienage will worry about her son, Feyndriel, and Thrask will point to Samson. He'll point to slavers. Save Feyndriel. Send him to Clan Sabrae on Sundermount. His mother is of the clan; they can help him. He is already an apostate. Let him at least learn.

There is a murderer about. He is stealing women. Follow the leads, though there will be few. You'll find more over the years. Remember white lilies. That's his calling card.

There is a High Dragon in the Bone Pit. She has some great treasure; she may be worth fighting. I'll let you decide, though I would do it. She won't kill you. She'll try, but your destiny is elsewhere.

A group of Qunari, lead by their Arishok, have also become stranded in Kirkwall after a shipwreck. You'll have several interactions with them; they will be framed by many, including a Chantry sister: Sister Petrice. Try to be civil, at least. They are a dangerous group, and will not leave until they've retrieved what they came for. A lost book...

Viscount Dumar's son is a friend of a Qunari man, and when he tries to run away, there will be accusations of kidnapping. A mercenary group will kill his friends and him to get a reward from the Viscount. Save him, please. It's a misunderstanding of the worst kind.

You and Hawke will go to the Deep Roads after some time, along with Bodhan and Sandal and whoever it is that Hawke decides to bring along. If she takes her sibling, please bring Anders, too. If Anders isn't there, but her sibling is--they'll die. If Anders is there, they'll become a Grey Warden. We Wardens are a much preferable fate to death, I would think.

But first, you'll find a thaig "so ancient it barely looked dwarven." You'll find red lyrium. I cannot impress upon you enough how disastrous red lyrium is, how terrible its discovery will be. I also know that there is nothing in all the universe which could stop this sequence of events from happening, or I would tell you not to go. But you must.

The red lyrium idol will drive your brother insane. He will try to kill you, locking the doors of the ancient thaig behind him with no way for you to open it. Your only choice will be to forge deeper in and hope you find your way out. A demon will try to make a deal with you to stop rock wraiths from killing you. I do not suggest accepting. You will have to fight your way out either way. If Hawke's sibling came, as you approach the exit, you'll learn they've been infected with the Blight. Only if you have a Grey Warden with you--Anders--will you be able to save their life by sending them to the Wardens.

You and Hawke will live, though. And when you come back, things will be heating up terribly in Kirkwall. Three years of tension will come and go. Hawke will rise, gain wealth and some status as well as a home in Hightown.

Merrill will want an arulin'holm to try to fix the Eluvian. It won't work, but let her try. Fenris will be taunted by Hadriana, one of his tormentors from Tevinter, Danarius' apprentice. Let him kill her. It won't help him, but unless you let him, he'll never realize that. She'll mention a sister, Fenris' sister. Fenris will pretend it doesn't matter to him. It does. Aveline will fall in love and be hopeless about it all. Remind her that a Captain is still a person. She can show weakness. Her guards won't think less of her. Anders is helping mages flee the Gallows. Help him, and make sure that Justice does not overwhelm him. Be sure he knows control. That poor, kind soul. The social justice mage.

Feyndriel will need help, too. He is a Dreamer, and does not know how to control his powers. Keeper Marethari can send you to the Fade to help him. Take care not to simply barge in and demand he realize he is being fooled; the mind is a delicate thing. Lead him in the right direction and he will realize it of his own accord. He will grow stronger and more confident. He will also leave to study in Tevinter. The Somniari are lauded there; even though he is elf-blooded, he should be safe.

Leandra will be taken by the white lily murderer I mentioned earlier. Comfort Hawke. She'll need it.

Your brother... Bartrand will return to Kirkwall, but he'll have gone mad. The remains lyrium idol will have done this to him. Go after him. Save him or kill him; neither will make so much difference on what will happen. Only on you. But don't keep the idol piece. Let Hawke take it to Sandal, let it be destroyed. Nothing good comes from that thing. I will not let it destroy you, too.

I know where the rest of it is. Knight-Commander Merridith's sword. It will drive her to drastic measures. It will not allow her to see chance for reason, for compromise. The tensions between Templars and mages will only grow. I'm sorry.

Help find Keras. He and some of his fellow Templar recruits have been taken by blood mages, tortured and turned into abominations. Let Cullen help you, but don't let him be too hard on the victims. He has reason for his fear and doubt. He was at Ferelden's Circle. He will see reason, in time, and he will trust Hawke's word. He's a good man. Someday, he'll even be a great one.

Sister Petrice will rear her terrible head once more. This time... This time she will kill the Viscount's son, leaving his body in the Chantry as if in prayer for repentance. A Qunari warrior will enavt revenge. Viscount Dumar will mourn. It is a grim affair, and this last slight will tip the tide.

At the worst moment possible, Isabela will say she's found her lost relic. The Qunari that were shipwrecked and stranded in Kirkwall will become violent. Their book is in the city, they know it, and they want to find it; they are tired of the games played in Kirkwall.

Isabela's relic is their book. If she is a close enough friend to you, to Hawke, then let her take the book. She'll return with it. It is the only way to try appeasing the Arishok. I believe a duel or battle will happen regardless. At least you can return their holy book and save your friend, though. They will still kill the Viscount, though. I'm afraid you cannot prevent that. I'm sorry.

Meredith will essentially take over after that. With no Viscount, and no clear successor, she will be all but unchallenged. Punishments for mages will grow worse. Mages have already been made Tranquil for the slightest of offenses in Kirkwall. It will continue. Try to keep Anders calm. Justice will grow restless, but he cannot help if he is made Tranquil. His own safety should always be paramount. Don't let him forget this. Don't let him forget himself.

Three years of this. That's what you have to look forward to. At least the Qunari will be gone, though. Just mages and Templars at each others' throats now. As ever...

At some point, Fenris' sister will come. Let him meet her. It is a trap, and any smart person could see this, but it is a trap that can easily work in your favor. Danarius will be with his sister at the Hanged Man. Use this opportunity to help Fenris finally free himself of the last worries to plague him; kill Danarius. He doesn't deserve to live. As for Varania... I do not think she deserves to die. She has not been a good person, and Fenris would not enjoy being coerced to let her live, but... It weighs less on my conscious, if she lives. Do as you see fit.

Isabela, now more or less without her protection, will need help to keep her life. The slaver she's out for will hunt her. Kill him. Don't let her take his ship and set him free. Slavers deserve nothing less that death.

Bartrand's estate is haunted. Sort of. The red lyrium makes a mess of things. It's unnatural and frightening. Find the last piece. Destroy it. Nothing good can come of it.

Take Merrill to Sundermount when she asks for it. She's going to try and find a demon trapped there, which is not good, but which cannot be avoided. I... I hate this part. Keeper Marethari, in one final attempt to save Merrill from her own faults, will take the demon inside herself. To kill the demon, you must kill the Keeper. I hate this. And afterwards... The clan will know. Don't let Merrill take sole blame, and do not blame the Keeper. Leave peacefully, if you can. Please, they are good people. Do not kill them. They saved my life, and even if I can do nothing else, I would do this much for them. They deserve so much better than life has given them.

Meredith's apparently unquestioned rule over Kirkwall will bring attention to Aveline, as Guard-Captain. Her marriage to Donnic will cause whispers, lies and rumors that she is too soft on those in the guard. Help her prove her worth. She is more than capable, and her changes to the guard's methods are all beneficial. Follow Donnic's route, as she will suggest. He chose it, and it certainly is no walk in the park. Aveline is only as soft as iron.

Both Meredith and Orsino will come to Hawke for help on a variety of matters. Hawke, now the Champion of Kirkwall, holds a great deal of political power. They comprehend and at least seem to respect that, though I would say Meredith resents it. It is no matter. Helping them will not bring harm, as a general rule. At one point, you will hunt maleficarum. Unsurprising, really, but only two of the three mentioned are truly blood mages. The young one in the pub, the son of two nobles--he is harmless, if stupid. Give him some money and send him away from Kirkwall. Ferelden may help. It would, at least, be safer for him. The elf will kill his wife. Please, try to prevent this. Try to arrive before he can hurt her. She deserves better. The human woman is just deranged, driven to this point by Meredith's unforgiving tactics. You cannot save her, but you can save the children she had originally saved from the Blight. Tell Meredith you killed all the maleficarum. It is no lie. Do not bring Fenris, though; if you spared the dumb boy's life and sent him away, Fenris will reveal this. He has good intentions, but he is blinded by his hatred of magic.

Ser Thrask and several other templars are meeting with mages in the dark of night to try and find a way to alleviate Meredith's destructive methods. Be careful. They are mostly good, but Grace is growing impatient and angry. She is bitter. The group will kidnap someone close to Hawke; her sibling or her lover or her best friend. They will try to coerce her with this, but when it is apparent that Hawke is on their side, Thrask will tell Grace to let the hostage go. Grace will not. She, instead, will try to kill her hostage. You will have to kill her. I am sorry.

Cullen will be on the way down as you finish, led by Samson. Let him know that the trouble has been dealt with, and please protect those you can. Cullen has been led astray by his past. Horrible things happened in the Ferelden Circle that have clouded his judgment. He has not yet healed himself of this burden, but he will. Soon, mages will again be people to him. Now they are just terrors waiting, wolves in sheep's clothing. Have patience. He is good.

Anders will ask for help to make what he says will help to separate himself from Justice. He is lying, but whether or not you help him, he will still achieve his goal. If you help him, at least he'll know you support him in some way. That he is trusted and even loved. He needs that, now more than ever. Do not let him forget.

Tensions will rise and rise and rise, as they ever do. And then... Both Meredith and Orsino will call for Hawke's aid. Things have come to a boiling point, to the point of no return, and as these leaders each try to win Hawke over, they will soon turn to the Chantry. A last hope of compromise. But Anders will stop them, because there is no compromise left. I fully believe that he is right; any compromise that could have been reached was destroyed long ago, often by both sides. But he will take this to an extreme, and he will destroy the Chantry, killing all inside.

Meredith will enact the Right of Annulment, and will not hear Orsino's pleas, will not care that Anders was not associated with the Circle. Please, stop her. Side with Orsino, I beg you. The mages of the Kirkwall Circle are innocents in all this.

Both will storm off to their respective strongholds, regardless. You will then be left with Anders. He knows many will despise him for what he's done, and he will expect death. Don't kill him, please. He is good, if misguided. Spare him. Ask him to help you. But if you sided with Meredith, he will object and you will have to kill him, though he would be happy to help save the Circle.

Neither Meredith nor Orsino are in their right mind. Orsino will resort to blood magic, will become a monstrous thing, and you will have to kill him. Meredith... Her sword is made of the red lyrium from the idol. It has driven her mad, and given her strange powers. Kill her, but be mindful of the statues. Cullen will help you; even he realizes she is beyond reason.

Whatever happens, you will all have to leave. At first, you can remain together, but eventually, circumstances will draw you all apart. You will return to Kirkwall in time, and Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast, the Right Hand of Divine Justinia, will find and question you. Do not tell her where Hawke is. You will know. You will always know. Protect Hawke. If she is found, she will end up dead, though not because the Seeker or the Divine wishes this. She would die at the Divine's Conclave. Cassandra will take you there to tell your story, the Tale of the Champion as it really happened, not as you wrote it. You won't make it in time, though.

Corypheus. I'm sure, if you've read this after dealing with him, that you are wondering why I have yet to bring him up? The truth is that I do not truly know when you will meet him, only that you will. He is trapped in a Grey Warden prison. They used Malcolm Hawke's blood to put him there, and so he will seek your Hawke's blood to free himself. He can control the minds of Grey Wardens; he is an ancient being. A darkspawn. A magister. Sound familiar? I hope so. He was known as the Conductor, and was the Priest of Dumat. Kill him.

He won't stay dead, unfortunately, but killing him is the only way you will be able to escape.

It's Corypheus who will attack the Divine's Conclave, using Grey Wardens to enter. He will kill the Divine and everyone in attendance--everyone except a single person. I don't know who it will be, only that they will fall from the Fade and become prisoner. The mark on their hand will be the only thing which can seal rifts, and this will be your salvation, as Corypheus ripped a hole in the sky: the Breach. Rifts in the Veil will appear everywhere, demons will pour through, and only this prisoner will be able to stop them.

Cassandra will take them to assault the first rift, at Solas' suggestion. (Keep a close eye on Solas. He is not what he seems. He will help, certainly, and his intentions are good, but... Be careful with him.) To do this, you must reach the Temple of Sacred Ashes: the mountain route will allow you to save some scouts, but the frontal assault may yield fewer overall casualties. Either way, when you arrive, you will find red lyrium at the temple, along with the Breach. The prisoner will manage to seal the rift, and soon will be exalted as the Herald of Andraste, for a woman's form was seen helping them out of the Fade at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, and this figure is widely believed to be Andraste. What else could explain that, after all? No one has walked physically in the Fade for millenia. No one except the Herald.

The Herald may or may not believe this version of events, but certainly will not remember the truth to back or disprove it. They will need to recover after that first assault on the Breach, but that is fine. Soon, Cassandra and Leliana, as the Right and Left Hands of the Divine, will declare the Inquisition born anew, alongside Ambassador Josephine Montilyet or Antiva and newly instated Commander Cullen Rutherford. The year will be 9:41 Dragon. The Chantry will disagree vehemently, will call you all heretics. But the Inquisition is the only thing which can begin to right the wrongs that caused the mage rebellion.

It is also the only thing which can face Corypheus, now calling himself the Elder One, and aspiring to godhood. You must succeed.

Find Mother Giselle, and as she suggests, approach the Chantry in Val Royeaux. The Templars will be there and will abandon the city, will denounce the Chantry. The one wearing Lord Seeker Lucius' face is not truly him, but rather an Envy demon that he has allowed to take his form. Grand Enchanter Fiona will approach as you leave with an invitation to Redcliffe. Hurry there, if you can. It is a desperate situation. A merchant, Belle, would put her efforts to the Inquisition if you ask. A messenger will invite the Herald to meet the Madame de Fer, and the Friends of Red Jenny will leave a trail to follow. Mme de Fer is a formidable woman and will make a valuable ally; bring her into the fold, if you can. I do not agree with many of her views, as she is a proud loyalist mage, but that does not mean I think less of her. If you follow Red Jenny's trail, you will meet Sera. She is a Red Jenny, and while her methods are unconventional at best, she is invaluable. Invite her to join you. She can use her Friends to the Inquisition's benefit.

In the Hinterlands, there is a Grey Warden recruiter, Blackwall. He, too, is not quite as he seems, but I would trust him with my life. His combat abilities are great. Though he will not be able to answer the disappearance of the Wardens, as Leliana will hope, he will readily lend his aid to your cause.

A young man named Krem (short for Cremisius Aclassi) will approach the Inquisition on behalf of his mercenary group's leader, the Iron Bull, who would ask the Inquisition to hire him after he proves his group's worth. He would advertise himself as a frontline bodyguard for the Herald. Hire the Bull's Chargers. The Iron Bull will admit freely to being Ben-Hassrath and that he will be sending reports back to the Qunari--but you will get Ben-Hassrath reports at your disposal as well. Don't worry about the details. It will all work out.

There are many other small tasks that can be completed, things through which the Inquisition and the Herald can gain appreciation and spread word. I know of too many to go into detail, and they are so small I doubt my advice would be of much aid. I won't offer it unless I feel it relevant.

I fear that Leliana will have forgotten herself in her years as the Left Hand of the Divine. Please, if I cannot do it, if no one else is able, please remind her of kindness. Treat her with it, and demand that she treat others with it. She may be spymaster, but cloak and dagger does not necessitate cruelty and death. Remind her, Varric. She is good. She can do more good by showing this.

The Blades of Hessarian on the Storm Coast can be recruited if the Herald wears a Mercy Crest to challenge their leader. I suggest doing so, as he is unloved and cruel, and the Blades are a boon to the Inquisition's efforts.

There will be a choice: recruit the mages or recruit the Templars. You cannot recruit both, and not simply because they are fighting; Corypheus will use his Venatori to infiltrate both, and there will only be time to save one or the other. It makes little difference which you recruit in terms of closing the Breach; the Herald's mark will manage that with either group's aid. The only changes are in the groups' fates.

If you wish to recruit the mages, you must meet with Grand Enchanter Fiona in Redcliffe--but strange magics will be in use there. She will not remember you, or being in Val Royeaux at all. The Magister Gereon Alexius of Tevinter, a Venatori agent, will have convinced Fiona and the other mages to enter servitude for Tevinter for a period of ten years, after which they would become citizens. But he is up to something; his son, Felix, will pass a note to the Herald to go to the Chantry. He will feign illness and his father will whisk him off, dismissing everyone.

In the Chantry, Dorian Pavus awaits. Once apprentice to Alexius, he will explain that the Magister studied time altering magics, after the Herald closes a rift. Dorian will offer his aid, and Felix will reappear to assure that Alexius still does not know of Dorian's presence.

But later, upon returning to Redcliffe to speak once more with Alexius, things will go haywire, as they are wont to do. He will send the Herald and Dorian a year into the future--a possible future wherein the Venatori succeed and the Elder One takes over southern Thedas. They will need to fight their way to Alexius and retrieve his amulet so they may return to their proper time. They will learn of a demon army that Corypheus commands and that he has thrown Orlais into chaos by killing Empress Celene. They will defeat Alexius, come back, and he will surrender. The mages will be free again--and Alistair will then march into Redcliffe castle to oust the mages on behalf of his uncle. There will be a choice, then, in the moment: offer the rebel mages an alliance and all that comes with it, or have them come to serve the Inquisition instead. I would never recommend placing any group under servitude. It is a terrible and pointless thing. I would offer an alliance, full stop.

However, allying with the mages will destroy the Templars. They will become Red Templars, having consumed red lyrium, and will be monstrous. There is no hope afer that. They will have no mind of their own. You will have to kill them.

Now, if you ally with the Templars... You will need to gather a following of nobles willing to ally themselves to the Inquisition before you can approach them. They have secluded themselves, drawn back into Therinfall Redoubt. Once you have what you need, go. Ser Barris, a knight, will greet the Inquisition and the Herald of Andraste and report that Lord Seeker Lucius has asked to see the Herald by name. Follow him; he will briefly make a few mentions of odd things that have happened, and when Knight-Captain Denam cones to parlay on Lucius' behalf, Barris will be confused. One of the noblemen will die. Denam has become a Red Templar, and you must defeat him. After this, find Lord Seeker Lucius. Barris will come with you, now a loyal ally. The Lord Seeker--or, more accurately, the demon that wears his face--will trap the Herald in their own mind in an attempt to take the Herald's face, to become the Herald.

Cole, a spirit of compassion, will come to the Herald's aid, although no one will see him. Don't worry; the envy demon will not succeed and the Herald will resurface, forcing the demon into its true form before everyone. It will run through the main hall and you will need the Templars' help to get through to it and defeat it. Find three veterans and a source of lyrium, but be careful to ensure the Templars in the main hall do not get overwhelmed by their Red brethren in the time it takes you to find these things.

It will be no small task to defeat the demon, but it can be done. Then comes the decision of what to do with the Templars; it is the same idea as with the mages. Servitude or an alliance. Again, I would suggest an alliance. Again, taking this course dooms the mages to become slaves to the Venatori.

There is no compromise; there is only either or. Choose wisely. But save Fiona, if you can, and try to save Ser Barris. Fiona is... None know this, and you cannot tell a soul: Fiona is Alistair's mother. Even he does not know.

Both groups can and will help to seal the Breach. But be on your guard: as Haven celebrates this victory, the Elder One marches his army--his mages or his Templars--to attack.

You will lose Haven. Corypheus has a dragon, a not-archdemon, a creature he created which holds a piece of his very soul. The only way to save lives is to take a passage through the mountains known to those who have made the summer pilgrimage; Chanter Roderick will know the way. The Herald will face Corypheus alone, as it is the Herald he wants, for the mark on their hand. The Herald will save those who managed to evacuate by acting as a diversion and a sacrifice, using a trebuchet to bring the mountains down upon Haven. It will destroy the town.

But both Corypheus and the Herald will survive to fight another day. The Herald, at Solas' suggestion, will scout for the Inquisition by heading north. They will be lauded and adored; they are the savior. Soon, you will come upon a castle that has been forgotten for ages, abandoned but perfect for the Inquisition: Skyhold. You will rebuild there, and the Herald will be named Inquisitor.

You, Varric, will ask Hawke to come and deliver advice about Corypheus. She will, of course; she could never say no to you, and especially not when it concerns things she thought done and over. Hawke will have a friend in the Wardens who can help with the question of why all Wardens have disappeared, if nothing else. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor will need to form a plan to stop the assassination of Empress Celene--the only surefire method will be to attend her peace talks that will occur at the same time as a grand masquerade.

Similarly, many places in Orlais and Ferelden will require the Inquisition's attention to regain peace. The Exalted Plains, the Emerald Graves, l'Emprise du Lion, the Hissing Wastes, the Western Approach, the Fallow Mire, Crestwood... Everywhere is affected terribly by the rifts. Everywhere demands some sort of aid.

The things I know of these places are frankly too many to write in full.

So I shall turn instead to the Empress' ball:

It will be anything but a peaceful and relaxing affair. Be sure the Inquisitor minds their tongue; the wrong words to the wrong person at the wrong time can and will doom everyone.

Servants are being killed, as are Briala's agents, in the servants' quarters. A Harlequin is the culprit. Duke Gaspard has made threats of death to the Council of Heralds, and his knife will be found in the back of a Tevinter mercenary in the gardens by the servants' quarters. In the Grand Library is some mild proofs of who Empress Celene's occult advisor is--who you will meet soon. It's Morrigan.

Grand Duchess Florianne de Chalons will dance with the Inquisitor and point the finger at Gaspard, whose mercenary captain, she will say, is waiting in the Royal Wing gardens. It's a trap, obviously; Florianne is the assassin. She works for Corypheus, though I couldn't tell you why. It has never made sense to me. She thought--thinks--will think it an obvious choice. She will then leave the Inquisitor to die at the hands of her own mercenaires. You'll kill them and close the rift she opened with little trouble.

Now there is another choice. Who will rule Orlais? Corypheus wants chaos; whether Celene rules or not, he can achieve this goal. I would reunite Celene with her jilted lover, Ambassador Briala. Or Celene can rule alone. Alternatively, Gaspard can be made Emperor, but only if Celene is allowed to die at Florianne's hands. If Gaspard is Emperor, though, it is also possible for Briala to be the one in control, using blackmail and subterfuge to force Gaspard into following her command. (They can all three be forced to work together, but this will only delay the chaos.)

Reuniting Celene and Briala would require finding the elven locket she keeps in a vault in the Grand Apartments. It was Briala's once. After, for a short time, at least, the fate of the elves of Orlais will be better. Orlais as a whole will be better.

Florianne can be stopped one off two ways: if the Court has taken a liking to the Inquisitor, she can be confronted publicly and arrested before she attempts her crime. Alternatively, she can be detained as she moves in on the Empress, though she will run. You will have to fight and kill her in this instance. She carries a wonderful bow, though, so if that is desired, it may be worth the trouble.

That is the ball, more or less. It is a mess, to say the least. Everyone tripping over each other's dicks, as the Iron Bull so colorfully would describe it.

With the Empire secured again, the Chantry will become renewed in its efforts to elect a new Divine, and will demand the presence of Cassandra and Leliana, as the Right and Left Hands of Divine Justinia V. They are more than just helpers to the remaining clerics, though; they are themselves candidates to become the next Divine.

Though neither will leave or be elected to the position until after defeating Corypheus, out of stubbornness if nothing else, it is important to recognize what they would be like as Divine. Leliana, if reminded of kindness and mercy, will be a kind and merciful Divine. She will always dissolve the Circles of Magi, but when dissenting factions rise, she will either encourage them to speak peacefully or she will kill the ones she thinks she needs to in order to keep the newly freed mages safe. Cassandra would reinstate the Circles and the Templars; very little, if anything, would change, though she would also steer the Chantry to what she calls its original purpose. She would bring it to focus once more on the people, on charity and faith. This is not a bad thing, but it is also not the change I believe southern Thedas so desperately needs.

At any rate, neither will leave the Inquisition yet. Corypheus is still at large, and the Grey Wardens' problem is yet to be dealt with. Meet Hawke in Crestwood, where the dead rise from the lake that drowned Old Crestwood ten years ago, during the Blight. That is easy to fix: to get to the rift, retrieve the dam key from the mayor and retake the Keep. The dam is through there, and the Inquisitor will be able to reach the rift in the previously flooded caves.

Hawke's Warden friend can be one of three people, but since I am determined to place Alistair on the throne, it shall not be him. It could still be Loghain, however, or a man named Stroud. My goal is for it to be Loghain, so I shall write as if it is. It changes little either way: the Warden is on the run, having spoken out against Warden-Commander Clarel. Clarel has hatched a desperate plan with the aid of a Venatori magister named Livius Erimond. You see, every Warden in Orlais and Ferelden has been hearing the Calling. They believe they are all dying--because that is what the Calling means. It means a Grey Warden's time is up, and the Blight has finally caught up with us. We can hear the Old Gods. It will drive us mad, eventually. Traditionally, we go to the Deep Roads when we begin to hear the Calling. It is a suicide mission to kill as many darkspawn as we can before being overwhelmed and killed ourselves.

So you can understand, I hope, why Clarel became desperate. All the Wardens in the area hear this Calling, and think they are dying. But it isn't a true Calling: it is a well-made fake, crafted by Corypheus to lure the Wardens into desperation. He will succeed, of course. He always will at first.

He can be stopped. The Wardens can be stopped from the goal that Erimond will reveal at a lonely, ancient Tevinter ritual tower in the Western Approach: the Wardens, under Erimond's guidance, are summoning and binding demons to their mages through blood magic. They are sacrificing their warriors and their scouts--those without magic--in the progress, raising a demon army to march on the Deep Roads and kill the Old Gods before they wake. It is a fool's errand, and it was never Erimond's plan, nor Corypheus'. What Erimond has not told the Wardens, what will be their undoing should it go too far, is that the ritual they are using to bind these demons also works to bind the mages to Corypheus. They will become his slaves.

But this example, at the ritual tower, is only a test. The plans will come to fruition soon, at the old Warden Keep Adamant Fortress. Attack it. Get in as soon as you are able, but be on your guard: you will face more danger here than realized.

Find Clarel and stop the Wardens from completing this insane ritual. Blackwall can speak on your behalf, can beseech them. Spare lives where you can, please; not all need to die. Kill only those you must to ensure your own survival. The Wardens will thank you for it, when they have regained their senses, I promise you this.

Livius will summon Corypheus' mockery of an archdemon. You cannot kill it here; try instead to simply avoid its attacks. Erimond and Clarel will fight; she will sacrifice herself and deal damage to the dragon, but the Fortress is old and cannot hold that much raw power at bay. You will all fall. Only the Inquisitor's desperate actions can save you: you will fall into the Fade. Physically in.

To find a way out, follow the Inquisitor. A spirit, perhaps the Divine, perhaps something native to the Fade, but benevolent nonetheless, will guide you. The Inquisitor will remember the first trip. Grey Wardens under Corypheus' control were the ones to hold the Divine as he tried to kill her. Fight the nightmares. The fearlings. Then, the Nightmare. You will leave the Fade before the Inquisitor, Hawke, and the Grey Warden are able to leave. The Nightmare will rise again. One must act as sacrifice to allow the others life.

Kill the Warden, or tell the Inquisitor to, however you can do it. I aim for it to be Loghain, and this would be a fitting end for him. He can regain some honor and sacrifice himself just as he sacrificed Cailan.

The other option leads to Hawke's death. You would never allow that, I know, but I thought it important to note, regardless. I would save her, if I had the choice. Hawke can do much yet for the world, I believe.

Then those that live will return. The Inquisitor can choose to let the Wardens remain and rebuild with the Inquisition's help, or to exile them for their actions. I am biased, as a Warden myself, and would allow them to stay, but the ultimate choice shall not be mine, though they would be helpful allies and eager to prove that they are better than what Erimond tried to make them. Of course, not everyone would agree; they did still willingly perform sacrifice and blood magic. It is a tricky thing.

Many things can happen to Erimond. I recommend killing him, but given that he asks for it, perhaps that is too nice a fate. I do not care. I hate him.

Hawke, if she lives, will head to Weisshaupt in search of answers. I do not know if you will ever hear from her again. I hope you do. I hope... But I don't know. I can't see that.

The conclusion of the events at Halamshiral and Adamant will set into motion many things. Morrigan, Celene's occult advisor, will have been sent as liaison to the Inquisition. Blackwall will find out about a man sentenced to be hanged and will head to Val Royeaux to stop it; in the process, he will reveal that he never was Blackwall, never was a Grey Warden: he is Thom Rainier. He will be sentenced in the man's place, as it was his orders the man had carried out. It is possible to save his life. He is a good man; he was not always, but he is now. He wishes only to atone for his sins. Let him. Or send him to the Wardens to be judged; he was, after all, impersonating one of their own.

All of Corypheus' forces are congregating and concentrating in the south, searching the Arbor Wilds. Morrigan will say he looks for an Eluvian, and will show the Inquisitor why by the use of her own Eluvian, which she brought with her to Skyhold. She is wrong--at least mostly. He is not searching for an Eluvian, but for something much more powerful, hidden in an ancient Temple of Mythal and protected by elvhen long thought dead. The Vir'abelasan. You must not let him take it. Do whatever you must, so long as Corypheus does not ever lay his hands upon this, the Well of Sorrows.

Before entering the Arbor Wilds, however, there are things which must be done. Depending upon whether the Templars or the rebel mages were recruited, the events I describe could be two very different things.

If you gained the mages: Samson leads the Red Templars. He has gone more or less mad. Letters in the quarry at Emprise du Lion will point to a smuggling operation; letters on smugglers in the Emerald Graves will bring to light the Temple of Dumat, where Maddox has been brought to work by Samson. Maddox... Have Cullen tell you his story. It's a sad one, and it is full of the betrayals of Kirkwall's Templars against their mages.

Maddox has created armor of pure red lyrium for Samson. He cannot be saved; he will kill himself to try and help Samson. Tranquil he may be, but loyalty goes far beyond even tranquility. It is, after all, not an emotion. His tools can still be salvaged, though, and if Dagna is given them, some red lyrium, and time, she will fashion a rune to destroy Samson's armor. He can be made vulnerable. This will be a great help when fighting him. He is no minor foe.

But if it is the Templars who were recruited, then it is Calpernia who leads the Venatori and their mages. Leliana will have some information on her, and visiting the home of a slave smuggler in Val Royeaux will provide the opportunity for more. A destroyed crystal, if reassembled, will show memories. Dagna will mention it being similar to the Shapers of Orzammar. She can create a linked crystal and Leliana can have it placed within Calpernia's ranks.

The crystal will reveal only enough to point once more to the Temple of Dumat. This time, however, Calpernia is specifically not allowed to be there. Leliana will be rightfully suspicious. Upon investigation, the Temple will prove to hold Calpernia's old master prisoner. This, and some papers to be found elsewhere, can be used to dissuade Calpernia from Corypheus' side. She does not need to be fought.

And so: the Arbor Wilds. It will be a busy battle, and the closer you draw to the Temple of Mythal, the stranger the wildlife and plants will seem--but also the greater the fighting. Soon enough, elves that even Solas seems unable to identify will join the fray, fiercely attacking both sides. Forge on.

In the Temple of Mythal, Corypheus and his Lieutenant will face off against the same mysterious elves from before. Ancient magic will activate and kill him, though; but do not linger. Follow the elvhen back into the Temple. Slam the doors shut. Corypheus is not yet dead; he will reform from the body of one of those few Grey Wardens which could not be saved from him.

This Temple is ancient. From the time of Elvhenan, of Arlathan. Morrigan knows this. Follow in and walk the path of those who would have once come to worship Mythal. This will open the second set of doors, wherein you will briefly be greeted by Corypheus' second and some of his soldiers. Most will go down under the Temple, their leader included. Some will stay and need to be fought. Here is a crossroads: you can either pursue the second and their forces through the hole in the Temple's floor, or you can take the path of a supplicant to Mythal.

I advise the latter. It is not faster, but this Temple is still protected by ancient elvhen. If you dishonor the Temple in your efforts against Corypheus, they will attack you and you will have two groups to fight. However, if you honor the traditions as well as you are able, they will ally with you at least until the invaders are vanquished. Morrigan would seek the Vir'abelasan, but outright demanding it also runs risk of their fury. It is not worth their deaths. Please, do not demand of Abelas the Well.

Simply follow the elf he asks to be your guide, and fight the invaders as you are able or see fit. The Temple's guardians will keep it safe, even if you do not aid them. You will be led to the location of either Samson or Calpernia, and here you have a chance to make the fight easier, at least. With Calpernia, it can be entirely avoided if you reveal to her the plans that Corypheus had for her. She will leave. She refuses to be his Vessel if she knows the truth. With Samson, however, there is no avoiding a fight. He can only be weakened with Dagna's red lyrium rune, which will destroy his armor. You must defeat him, though he will likely remain alive so as to be judged at Skyhold for his crimes.

And now, the Vir'abelasan. Abelas would destroy it rather than let its power fall to the wrong hands; Morrigan would use it, and will kill Abelas to get it if you do not convince him to stand down. You have a third choice, too: the Inquisitor may insist upon drinking of the Well. But heed Abelas' warning--those who drink of the Vir'abelasan are bound forever to the will of the goddess Mythal. They are hers. And she does exist, though, as Abelas reveals, she was murdered. I do not know more. I know only that the Dalish have badly misinterpreted what little can be found of ancient elvish religion.

Perhaps, as I have already doubtlessly caused some small changes to Thedas simply by being here, by knowing even some small amount of what is to come, things will change. Maybe another option would arise. Either way, I would avoid the destruction of the Well. It holds too much that would be forever lost, too much that could help so many. Yet neither would I have the Inquisitor drink of the Well, because I know some small part of Mythal lives and I know where she is. The Inquisitor should not be at the will of another person, not even a goddess. Morrigan is the least problematic option of those three, though she will come to regret that choice soon enough.

But you must escape soon after that. Corypheus is coming. The Eluvian is your only way out; take it. Morrigan can bring you to the corresponding Eluvian which she placed in Skyhold. The army will still be in the Wilds, however. I advise to send word quickly to Cullen or Leliana on whatever happens.

Whoever drank from the Well--Morrigan or the Inquisitor--will hear the voices of the long-dead sentinels and priests of Mythal, as well as their will. For Morrigan, they are loud, strong; she has no issue comprehending them. But for the Inquisitor, they are softer. The Inquisitor does not have the benefit of years of research into ancient lore. It is no matter, though. What matters is this: I believe Morrigan will have a son. Even now, she and Daylen are sharing a tent and constantly searching each other out. There is very little chance that she will risk losing him; the ritual to obtain the Old God's soul will likely be completed. And so, she will have a son. She will name him Kieran. And in eleven years' time, that son will use her Eluvian at Skyhold to enter the Fade. Morrigan will chase him; for all her faults, she will be a good mother. She will love her son.

The Inquisitor will follow, heading for a third time to stand physically in the Fade. What luck, eh, Varric? What luck.

It is Flemeth who called out to Kieran and convinced him to enter the Fade. Flemeth, Morrigan's mother, who is not human. Not anymore; once, she was. But then she took in a tiny wisp, a small fragment of a dead goddess' soul--of Mythal's soul, and she became something else. An abomination, perhaps, in the way that Anders is an abomination. And do you remember what I said earlier? Whoever drinks of the Vir'abelasan is bound forever to the will of Mythal. And here she is. And there they are. Morrigan will try to get her son back, but will either be made to stop by Flemeth or by the Inquisitor who is used by Flemeth. Do not worry; Morrigan is in no danger. No one is, yet. Flemeth wants only the Old God's soul, which she will take from Kieran. And then she will let him go, and she will let Morrigan leave. "A soul is not forced upon the unwilling," she will say. None are in danger from her.

Morrigan has a way to kill Corypheus' dragon. Or the Inquisitor will; if it is Morrigan, she will shapeshift into a dragon to fight his dragon, when the time comes. If it is the Inquisitor, you will go to an old clearing with a statue of Mythal, a tiny place of worship, and summon a dragon. Fight it briefly, prove your worth, and Mythal will lend her to you. She will fight for you once, to let you live.

And so we come to the final battle. This is the last thing I know of, the final piece I can tell. Corypheus will not wait to rebuild his forces; he will not wait for the Inquisition's to return from the Arbor Wilds. As the Inquisitor consults the advisors, Corypheus will attempt once more to reopen the Breach and step into the Fade. He will return to the destroyed Temple of Sacred Ashes, and he will renew his assault upon the heavens, lifting the Temple itself up into the sky in his fury.

The Inquisitor will arrive just in time to be taken up with the Temple. Those with the Inquisitor will face the same fate: they alone can stop Corypheus. His dragon will attack first; Morrigan or Mythal's dragon will take it to a fierce battle in the sky, and Corypheus will have no choice but to attack. However, once Corypheus starts to really hurt, the dragons' battle will end. Corypheus' dragon will seem the winner, though neither Morrigan nor Mythal's dragon will be dead. Yet now his dragon can no longer fly; you must kill it before you can kill Corypheus. In doing so, that tiny piece of himself, of his soul, that the dragon carried, that allowed Corypheus what seemed to be immortality, will return to its intended place. Corypheus will be whole--as whole as an ancient darkspawn magister can be.

Kill him. He will beseech the Old Gods, but they will not listen. Perhaps they are truly dead. The Inquisitor will use the power of the rift, the Mark, to tear Corypheus apart one final time, and the Conductor will be vanquished.

And the world is saved again. Return to Skyhold and celebrate. You will have earned it. Solas will leave; the orb Corypheus used was broken beyond repair in the battle, and it is the true reason that he came to the Inquisition, though he would never say as much to any. Any apart from Mythal, that is; the Dread Wolf is her old friend, after all.

This is all I know. I pray that you have believed me, Varric, or at least taken it all as advice. If I am dead, you are the only one I might trust with this. You are the only one I think can truly make use of it. Share this all if you like; keep it hidden if you prefer. Just don't write it off. Please.

I'm sorry I couldn't help more.

Thank you, Varric. Be safe.

Warden Vir'era, 9:30 Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> minor note: vir'era never mentions the dwarven wardens who will be appearing in The Blight. this is part bc i added them after writing the Origins bit and part bc i figure he would also have finished a good portion of the journal by the time they are met.


End file.
